Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I will pay you my vows,
those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, January 6, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Making promises to God during a crisis has become a trope. It shows up in movies and TV shows and books. And, of course, the punchline in most cases is that the moment the crisis passes, the person making the promises instantly forgets them and goes about their business as if the crisis never happened.
Here, the psalmist is so overwhelmed with gratitude to God for all that God has done for him, he makes a point of calling out the promises he made during the crisis with a renewed commitment to keep them. Less funny, but definitely earnest.
Of course, I don’t think God saves us from crisis based on the promises we make to God in the moment. God saves because God loves us, end of story. We don’t have to earn it in some way. Crises happen. One way or another, God holds us through them, even if they don’t end up the way we think they should. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s care even when the worst happens. We don’t need to make promises we may or may not keep. We need only lean into the arms of God.
When have I felt sustained by God through a difficult time?